#markrenhyuck

Needless to say, Haechan didn’t find it funny. At all. He didn’t know why his cousin thought he would. But he was furious, in fact.

“Why would you say that?” he hissed angrily.

“Dude, chill,” Jeno chuckled. “I was just messing around.”

“Do you honestly think I’m capable of murdering my boyfriend’s friend?” Haechan exclaimed, putting a hand on his wounded heart.

“Have you seen yourself?” Jeno responded. “You glare daggers at anyone who goes as far as talking to Renjun. I’m surprised Mark is still breathing.”

“Well, I haven’t seen much of Mark recently, anyway...”

“And why is that? You probably scared the guy shitless with how possessive you act towards Renjun.”

Haechan hated to admit it (to himself, not out loud), but Jeno made a valid point.

“Whatever, man,” the younger male scoffed and walked out of his older brother’s bar, leaving Jeno to pay for the drinks.

As Haechan was making his way towards his car in the parking lot, he heard a suspicious noise coming from the forest nearby. It was very dark and quiet so the slightest sound could break the silence. Haechan, being a werewolf himself, was no stranger to unexpected occurences happening in his vicinity.

So, he followed the noise into the forest until he saw some human guy being chased by a pack of rabid dogs. Haechan didn’t know what came over him, maybe he just wanted to play the hero for a change, but he couldn’t just stand there and watch as the poor man got attacked. So, he quickly transformed into his wolf form, knowing it would be faster and he’d have a bigger chance at scaring the dogs away. 

Snarling at them to leave the guy alone, Haechan felt like his job here was done. And even though he knew exposing his secret to a random human was generally not a good idea, he assumed that the guy would be grateful to him for saving his life, so he went back to his usual self.

Imagine his surprise when Haechan realized this was no random human, after all. But Mark. The very same guy Jeno had just joked that Haechan would kill if he ever suspected there was something going on between Mark and Renjun.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Haechan cursed in a panic because he was perfectly aware of the fact that the supernatural world was previously unknown to Mark.

“Dude...you just saved my life!” Mark exclaimed in amazement.

“And I already regret it, so let’s not talk about it,” Haechan rolled his eyes.

“You regret it...because you hate me?” Mark tried to guess.

“I don’t hate you,” Haechan sighed. “And aren’t you going to address the fact that I’m not...well, human?”

“I’m trying my best not to bring this up or else I’ll freak out and then I’ll start rambling and then I won’t be able to stop. Oh, damnit, I’m already doing it, aren’t I?”

“It’s fine, as long as you don’t tell any one,” Haechan insisted. “Are you okay, though?”

“Thanks to you! I’m pretty sure those dogs were trying to eat me.”

“I guess you’re lucky I was closeby, huh?”

“Yeah, lucky,” Mark repeated in disbelief.

“Look, man, you seem pretty shaken up so...how about you come with me to my place?” Haechan suggested generously. Maybe, he wanted to prove Jeno wrong. That he wasn’t a killer, after all. Or maybe, he just felt inexplicably drawn to Mark. For some reason. “Renjun will be there and I’m sure he’d be very happy to see you.”

“That’d be awesome, I really appreciate it,” Mark nodded excitedly.

“Oh, before you get too enthusiastic, you should probably know Renjun is a fox.”

Upon hearing that, Mark passed out. Haechan groaned loudly. The first thing he did was text his boyfriend:

Haechan: I’m bringing Mark to movie night, hope that’s okay

Renjun: Who are you and what have you done to my possessive boyfriend?!?!

Haechan: Come ooooon, I’m not that bad. And I’ll explain everything when we get there

Then, the werewolf picked up the human, intending to carry him over his shoulder and into his car.

Once Haechan arrived at his and Renjun’s place, he simply dropped the unconscious Mark on the couch.

“Oh my God, what happened to him? Did you punch him or something?” Renjun cried out.

“Why does everybody always assume the worst of me?” Haechan complained loudly.

“I’m going to pretend this was a rhetorical question,” Renjun gave his boyfriend a sarcastic look.

“FYI, I did not punch Mark. In fact, he was being chased by rabid dogs when I valiantly transformed into my wolf form and rescued him from imminent death.”

“And then, he passed out from the shock?” Renjun guessed incorrectly.

“No, we had a brief chat. I told him you’re a fox. And then, he passed out,” Haechan explained.

“Why did you tell him that?” Renjun scolded him. “As if he wasn’t already scared shitless, poor guy.”

“Well, we were on the topic of supernatural creatures and I thought it’d be better to get it over with once and for all.”

“You thought wrongly, you could have picked a better time.”

“Obviously,” Haechan sighed in exasperation.

Just as he’d said that, Mark came to, blinking in surprise and trying to remember what had happened and how he’d ended up at Renjun’s and Haechan’s place.

“How did we get here?” Mark whispered in confusion, scratching the back of his head. Haechan couldn’t help but think he looked like a little adorable lion. What was wrong with him? Mark was supposed to be his competition, not someone to find adorable...

“I carried you, dumbass,” Haechan let him know.

“Shiiit, I’m so sorry, that must have been hard,” Mark mumbled nervously.

“Oh, please, you were as light as a feather,” Haechan joked and waved him off confidently. “Nothing my werewolf strength can’t handle.”

“Haechan! Stop mentioning that or you’ll give the guy a heart attack,” Renjun warned.

“I’ll be fine, Ren, but thanks for the concern,” Mark reassured his friend.

“Ren?” Haechan repeated mockingly, his old jealousy resurfacing upon hearing Mark having a special nickname for his boyfriend. That’s right. Haechan’s. His blood was literally boiling.

“Quit it,” Renjun rolled his eyes.

“He can sleep on the couch but I expect him gone by the morning,” Haechan hissed and left them in the living room, slamming the door behind him.

“Did I do something wrong?” Mark pouted nervously.

“He’s just back to his usual possessive prickly self,” Renjun responded, loud enough for Haechan to hear from the other room. “Don’t mind him and try to get some sleep. There’s some food in the fridge if you’re hungry.”

“Thank you, Ren,” Mark smiled in gratitude. “I just wish Haechan would stop seeing me as his enemy so that the three of us could hang out freely.”

“You and me, both. Actually...that gives me an idea,” Renjun smirked cleverly.

Renjun wasn’t usually the type to use his fox magic carelessly. He had heard of evil foxes who manipulated everyone and everything around them with no care of the consequences. When he was younger he’d promised himself he would never glamour another being, whether human or supernatural, for his own selfish needs. He only used his fox magic in rare occasions when someone needed help or when he witnessed an injustice far too great to ignore.

However, desperate times called for desperate measures. Just as he had become a bit hopeful that Haechan was finally going to treat poor Mark nicely, judging from the fact he’d saved his life, Haechan had to return to his obnoxiously jealous self. It was so frustrating that Renjun devised a wicked plan. One that would give Haechan no choice but to act decently.

In the morning, before poor Mark could leave their apartment like a frightened baby lion, Renjun made sure his fox eyes were the first thing Haechan saw when he woke up. And the first words he heard were:

“I’m going to be nice to Mark and I’m going to be happy about it,” Renjun glamoured his boyfriend immediately before he got cold feet.

“I’m going to be nice to Mark and I’m going to be happy about it,” Haechan repeated without thinking, as if he’d fallen into a trance.

Renjun grinned proudly and kissed his boyfriend on the cheek fondly.

“Good morning, handsome.”

“Good morning, Jun,” Haechan replied sleepily. “Is Mark still in the living room? I’m afraid I was a little too mean to him yesterday. He can stay for breakfast, I’m sure the three of us will have a lovely time.”

“Yep, he’s still there,” Renjun chuckled. “And that’s a splendid idea, Hyuck. Let’s have breakfast together.”

Indeed, the three of them had a very peaceful breakfast. Which turned into a day spent playing games. Which turned into movie night. Which turned into another day. Which turned into a week. Which turned into a month.

One night, Renjun, overwhelmed by how things had changed for the better, asked his boyfriend something:

“Do you like Mark?”

“What kind of a question is that?” Haechan giggled. “Of course, I like Mark. As a friend.”

“You think you can trick a fox? I see the way you look at him,” Renjun raised his eyebrows.

“Fine,” Haechan sighed. “I’m attracted to him. Is that what you wanted to hear? I know it’s wrong, because I’m in a relationship with you and because I treated Mark horribly before and it doesn’t make sense, so I lied. Are you happy now?”

“Perfectly satisfied,” Renjun replied. “But I can’t help but wonder if you would feel the same way if I hadn’t glamoured you.”

“W-what?” Haechan almost choked on nothing but air.

Lifting the fox magic off Haechan, Renjun looked away guiltily.

“I’m happy you like Mark but this is all wrong. I don’t want to be the bad guy anymore. If you happen to like him anyway, it has to come from you and not because I manipulated you into liking him.”

“Huh?” Haechan whispered in confusion. “I’m sorry, what just happened?”

“I glamoured you to be nice to Mark a month ago,” Renjun confessed. “And I just unglamoured you. I’m really sorry, Hyuck, I know it wasn’t right to do it.”

“Then, why did you do it?” Haechan inquired, his voice utterly pained by the revelation that his boyfriend had tricked him.

“Because...I was sick of you acting so possessively. I just wanted the three of us to spend time together without you glaring viciously at Mark.”

“And you decided using your fox magic on me was the best call?” Haechan scoffed.

“I realize how messed up this looks and I can’t say anything in my defense, other than how sorry I am.”

“Do you like Mark?” 

“If I tell you the truth, will you promise not to hurt him?” Renjun tried to reason with Haechan.

“You just did,” Haechan pointed out. “You wouldn’t be so concerned about him, if you weren’t into him.”

“That’s nonsense. I’m concerned for all my friends regardless of attraction,” Renjun insisted.

“Fair point. I don’t know what to say other than...I’m sorry you felt so annoyed by my jealousy and so desperate to change it to the point you had to glamour me.”

“The Great Haechan? Apologizing? In this economy?” Renjun joked. Haechan shook his head.

“I’m still mad at you,” the werewolf replied.

“You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t,” Renjun shrugged.

“But if there is one good thing to come out of all this, I have to admit I no longer feel murderous towards Mark. In fact, I quite enjoy having him around. So let’s see how this goes and not tell him about your fox magic for now, okay?”

“I like the sound of that,” Renjun agreed.

The next couple of days after the fox had lifted off the glamour, Haechan was surprised to find out how much he genuinely liked Mark. And he was now certain that his judgement of him had been previously clouded by unnecessary jealousy. Instead of wasting so much time being antagonistic towards the poor human, he could have welcomed him into their little circle a long time ago.

And now that Renjun was finally honest to his boyfriend about having tricked him into being nice to Mark, he felt his affections towards the two men growing even more. He could now be himself around them without being afraid that Haechan would act possessively again. Because, now he knew Haechan was also attracted to Mark’s hilarious personality, his beautiful smile and his faithful nature.

The one thing left to find out was if Mark felt the same...

Mark wasn’t usually the type to fall for supernatural creatures. He wasn’t even the type to fall for men. In his limited experience, he’d only had crushes on girls. So, when Renjun and Haechan confessed the way they felt for him, Mark was, for lack of better word, panicking. He had no idea what to say, how to react or what to do. So, he did the dumbest thing possible. He ran.

“Um, I have to go,” Mark mumbled in a hurry and practically sprinted towards the exit. Once he was out of the apartment and even the building, he took a deep breath. He needed to have a walk and relax. And think about all this. What it meant for their friendship. What it meant for him.

His first instinct was to say something silly like “I’m flattered but I’m straight,” but now that he considered that statement, it wasn’t entirely true. The flattered part was valid, of course. But was he really straight if his heart was beating so rapidly whenever he was around Renjun and Haechan? Was he really straight if he sometimes thought what it’d be like if he held their hands or if he ki- Nope, he couldn’t afford to consider this.

It was too unexpected and Mark was not at all sure he was ready to process it. In a sense, the way he currently felt was more shocking than when he’d found out Haechan was a werewolf and Renjun was a fox. Because those things, he couldn’t control, they were outside his scope. But his own feelings? Well, Mark used to think he was perfectly capable of controlling them. But he wasn’t so sure anymore.

So, he did the one thing that came to his mind. Asked the Internet for help:

I think I’m straight but my guy friends just confessed to me and I don’t know what to do.

Immediately, a bunch of responses arrived in the forum Mark had entered:

The mere fact you phrased it as “I think I’m straight” means you’re at least questioning.

Are your guy friends hot? If so, give them a chance.

Just follow your heart.

All of these weren’t entirely helpful so Mark was uncertain why he’d thought this was a good idea a few minutes ago. Still, he couldn’t think of anything better and kept using the forum.

I phrased it like that because so far I’ve only had crushes on girls. My guy friends are super hot but I’m not sure if I should give them a chance. I don’t want to accidentally lead them on.

Once again, the forum was flooded with more comments and suggestions.

Just because you’ve only had crushes on girls doesn’t necessarily mean you’re straight. Some people realize their sexuality at a later point in life, there’s no time limit. 

If they’re your real friends, they’d understand this is new to you and would accept you regardless of whether things work out romantically.

Mark had to admit, the second string of comments seemed a lot more encouraging. And maybe, just maybe, it was high time he stopped being so afraid and finally went after his dream.

Mark: Dinner at my place, 7pm.

Haechan: So assertive. Did someone steal your phone?

Mark: Not funny. We need to talk

Haechan: Woaah, easy there, Mel

Renjun: Is everything okay? Did something bad happen?

Mark: It’s fine, I just don’t want to discuss this over text

Renjun: Alright, we’ll be there. Right, Hyuck?

Haechan: I’m sitting next to you, you could have said that out loud. And yes, we’ll be there if you need us

Mark: I do

When dinnertime arrived, Mark was all nerves. He had no idea how he’d be able to look at his friends, let alone actually utter words. He hoped the alcohol would help him relax a little. The second he heard knocking on his door, Mark tripped in his hurry to open.

“Are you okay? You seem flustered,” Renjun, ever the caring one, pointed out sweetly.

“Let’s just have dinner,” Mark tried to divert the attention without actually answering Renjun’s question. And the fox was about to let it go and allow Mark to talk whenever he was ready to talk.

However, that tactic didn’t seem to work on Haechan.

“Nope, you’re gonna tell us what’s bothering you right now,” the werewolf argued. “Food can wait.”

“You know, I think this is the first time I’ve heard you postpone food for the sake of having a conversation,” Renjun teased. And Haechan simply sighed.

“I’m not entirely sure what to say,” Mark confessed.

“If this is about our feelings for you,” Renjun guessed correctly, “you don’t have to say anything. We just wanted to let you know but if it makes you feel uncomfortable, let’s just ignore it and go back to being friends.”

“Yeah, let’s forget about it and go back to normal,” Haechan added.

“You’re right, it does make me feel uncomfortable,” Mark admitted. “But I don’t think I can go back to being friends.”

“Oh? You want to stop seeing us?” Renjun asked, feeling pained. Even Haechan seemed heartbroken by the prospective.

“Not at all,” Mark reassured them. “I want to give it a try. The three of us, I mean. If it’s okay with you.”

“Are you kidding? It’s perfect,” Haechan squealed and attacked Mark with a surprise kiss on the cheek. Mark tried his best not to cringe.

“Don’t be so quick to get overexcited, though,” Mark continued. “You have to know I’ve never been in a relationship with a guy, let alone two. I mean, I thought I was straight, but...”

“It’s okay, Mark,” Renjun comforted him. “You don’t have to explain yourself.”

“No, but I do,” Mark kept going. “I don’t want to risk hurting you or leading you on.”

“Seriously, Mel, it’s fine,” Haechan waved him off. “We can take care of ourselves. And we can be as patient as you need us to be.”

“The words Haechan and patient don’t belong in the same sentence,” Renjun joked.

Haechan rolled his eyes, nudging his boyfriend’s shoulder playfully.

“So...you guys are okay with me not having experience in the...guys’ area?” Mark wanted to make sure.

“Well, to be fair, we’re no ordinary guys,” Haechan winked.

Mark shook his head, profoundly amused.

“A werewolf, a fox and a little lion,” Renjun announced. “What could possibly go wrong?”